


Day 30: Recovery

by evilwriter37



Series: Whumptober 2019 [30]
Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Recovery, Whump, injured, tuffnut!whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 23:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: Tuffnut injured his leg in a rockslide and recovery is a long road.





	Day 30: Recovery

Tuffnut hated the crutches. However, they were the only way he could get around. He wasn’t allowed to put weight on his leg, and he’d found out for himself why: it hurt like Hel. 

It was his left leg, which he thought was kind of ironic given the state of Hiccup’s left leg. He’d hurt it in a rockslide while exploring part of the Edge. “Hurt” felt like an understatement. It’d been  _ crushed _ by falling rock, the bones broken and shattered. He’d been in and out of consciousness from pain until the Riders had found him, led by Ruffnut. Of course she would know. That was the good thing about being a twin. 

The flight to Gothi’s had been spent in sheer agony. Tuffnut remembered crying, which he wasn’t even ashamed of. Anyone would cry in his position, he thought.

And now here he was stuck on Berk, in a cast from his thigh to his toes. His right leg had suffered a little, but only contusions. Nothing broken, nothing shattered. That was good. He had at least one leg to use.

He had to take Gothi’s potions on a schedule, or else the pain would come back to him and it was unbearable. The potions were nice. They made him feel nice and relaxed, sort of like the teas he’d make himself, but more powerful. Apparently he said and did some funny things while on the potion, but that was normal for him, potion or no.

But now here he was stuck in bed, only able to move around save for the crutches, and he hated those. And what was the point of moving around anyway? It was tiring. 

Tuffnut was bored. He’d tried to read, but even his favorite books weren’t holding his attention. Chicken was with him, settled on his lap. Though, she couldn’t be a source of amusement. Right now, she was sleeping. She looked cute like that.

“Tuffnut, honey, do you need anything?” That was his mother, peering around his door, long blonde hair swishing.

“Kind of hungry,” Tuffnut answered. “And bored.”

“Don’t know if I can fix the boredom, but I can definitely get you something to eat,” she said, looking wistful. “Sorry, Tuff.”

“Ah, it’s okay.” He waved his hand. “Chicken should wake up soon anyway.”

Tuffnut didn’t know if she would, but he didn’t want his mom to feel bad. She left and closed the door, and Tuffnut was left alone with his thoughts and the pain.

  
  


Tuffnut’s cast had just come off, and he was allowed to put weight on his leg as long as he had his crutches. His leg looked rather normal, he thought, just bruised and swollen. He’d been afraid that his leg would be all misshapen, but Gothi had done good work on it. 

It hurt to put weight on his leg, but the pain was hardly as bad as it had been. It was definitely healing.

“How’s it feel, Tuff?” Hiccup asked. The Dragon Riders were gathered in Tuffnut’s house. Tuffnut didn’t mind all the attention. They were worried about him. 

“Kinda hurts,” Tuffnut said, pacing around with his crutches. He still didn’t like them, but at least he wasn’t immobilized and was no longer in his cast. “But it’s a lot better.”

Ruffnut gave a huge smile. “That’s great, bro!”

  
  


Gothi had given Tuffnut exercises to do. They hurt and tired him out, but she’d said, well, written, that it would make his leg stronger and help it to heal. It was to keep the muscles from suffering atrophy. That was a new word Tuffnut had learned. He’d have to use it sometime to wow his friends. He liked using big words and different languages around them to confuse them. 

Tuffnut rolled his foot first one way, then the other. Then he had to stand with his bare foot against the wall to stretch the muscles. Yes, it definitely hurt, but if this would help, he was willing to do it.

  
  


Tuffnut could walk without crutches now, but it was with a limp. He wondered if that would be permanent, if he would have one like Hiccup, or if it would go away. He didn’t want a limp, wanted his leg to be perfect.

But another visit from Gothi and he learned that it wouldn’t be, that he’d be left with some pain for the rest of his life, that he’d most likely have the limp too. He didn’t cry until he was alone in his room. Chicken came to try to comfort him, but it was no use. He’d just been sentenced to a different life, a life of pain.

“Tuff, can I come in?” That was Ruffnut’s voice from outside the door. 

Tuffnut wanted to tell her to go away, but he knew that Ruffnut was good at cheering him up.

“Come in.” He lifted himself up from where he’d thrown himself on his bed, tried to sit cross-legged, though he had to keep his left leg out straight. He wiped at his face as Ruffnut entered.

“What is it, bro?” she asked as she came in.

Tuffnut sniffled. “Something Gothi said.”

Ruffnut sat on the end of Tuffnut’s bed, being careful of his leg. She sat fully cross-legged. Tuffnut wished he could do that.

“You know she doesn’t say anything, Tuff.”

“Fine. Scribbled.” He wasn’t in the mood for this technicality.

“What was it?”

Tuffnut gestured to his leg. “I-it’s not gonna recover fully,” he said. He hiccuped, sobbed a little, wiped at his eyes. “It’ll hurt for the rest of my life. I-I’ll have a limp.”

Ruffnut put a hand over one of Tuff’s. She wasn’t usually the one for comforting, but now it seemed like she would be. 

“Tuff, it’ll be okay.”

“But… I’ll live like that.”

“Yeah, and Hiccup’s living with his- oh, that’s not helpful,” Ruffnut realized a little too late. 

“You got this, Tuff,” Ruffnut said, squeezing his hand. “You’re tough. It goes with your name.”

Tuffnut smiled a little. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… a lot.”

“Will you still be able to ride?”

Tuffnut nodded.

Ruffnut spread her arms. “Then you’re good! Hiccup can still fly, and you can still fly! The Dragon Riders are A-ok!”

“I guess so,” Tuffnut said with a shrug, still not feeling cheered up. Ruffnut didn’t seem to understand how monumentous this was to him.

“Hey, wanna go switch some of Snotlout’s stuff with ours and see how long it takes him to notice?” Ruffnut suggested.

Tuffnut smiled. “Yeah. You know what? Actually, I do.”

Ruffnut smiled too. “Awesome.” 

Together, they got off of the bed, and Tuffnut limped out of the room after Ruffnut. 


End file.
